DOJ accuses acting FBI Director of insubordination

Donald Trump made some big moves in the DOJ as soon as he took office.

Now, two of his acting directors are feuding, and it is getting ugly, with Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove accusing FBI leadership of insubordination.

Acting FBI Director

After taking office, Donald Trump appointed Brian Driscoll, a very respected senior agent, as the Acting Director of the FBI.

I am pretty sure when Driscoll accepted the post, he thought it would be great for his resume, but it now appears it could be a career-ender for him.

Driscoll was asked by Bove to supply the names of agents who had worked on January 6 cases.

That order later included a request to have their work detailed so the Department of Justice could review everything.

The Resistance

When Driscoll was asked to supply names, he resisted. When Bove asked Driscoll to document their exact work on the cases, Driscoll drew the line, writing, "As we’ve said since the moment we agreed to take on these roles, we are going to follow the law, follow FBI policy, and do what’s in the best interest of the workforce and the American people — always.”

During his confirmation hearings, Kash Patel stated that he would not allow firings for political retribution, which is possibly why Bove is being so aggressive about this right now. That way, it does not come back on Patel.

To that point, Driscoll claimed that he received a notice from Bove regarding eight senior FBI officials who were to be terminated, which has created a firestorm. It is illegal to fire employees over political loyalty, and on the surface, this would appear to be that Trump wants heads to roll over prosecutions of January 6 rioters.

Insubordination

Reports stated that Driscoll pushed back hard against the order, and now Bove is pushing back, accusing FBI leadership of outright insubordination. Bove stated, “Multiple times during the week of Jan. 27, 2025, I asked the FBI’s acting leadership to identify the core team in Washington, D.C. responsible for the investigation relating to events on January 6, 2021.

“The purpose of the requests was to permit the Justice Department to conduct a review of those particular agents’ conduct pursuant to President Trump’s Executive Order concerning weaponization in the prior administration.

“FBI acting leadership refused to comply. That insubordination necessitated, among other things, the directive in my January 31, 2025 memo to identify all agents assigned to investigations relating to January 6, 2021.”

Bove continued that his order was one to simply review records, and that “No FBI employee who simply followed orders and carried out their duties in an ethical manner with respect to January 6 investigations is at risk of termination or other penalties.” He continued, “The only individuals who should be concerned about the process initiated by my January 31, 2025 memo are those who acted with corrupt or partisan intent, who blatantly defied orders from Department leadership, or who exercised discretion in weaponizing the FBI.”

There are two things to look at here. First, we have conflicting stories of what is taking place. Second, this is all being made out to be a revenge hunt on behalf of Donald Trump, which is clearly not a good look. This is being handled very poorly, and right now, all it is doing is feeding the media and Democrats the narrative they want to after and possibly impeach Trump again. Trump better get a handle on this fast or it will ruin his presidency. In my opinion, Trump is picking the wrong place to draw a line in the sand.